A New Beginning
by Shadow 3013
Summary: Shadow trys to start his life anew with the help of some of the rest of the gang. Things are going well, until an unknown guest shakes things up. Contains shonen-ai/yaoi/slash between Shadow and Sabin
1. Author's Notes, Warnings, and Disclaimer...

Final Fantasy VI and its characters do not belong to me, unfortunately. I'm just playing with some of the boys for a little while, please don't sue.  
  
This is a warning right here: this story contains shonen-ai (you may know it as yaoi, but that's graphic, this isn't) or slash. This means a relationship between two guys. Namely, Shadow and Sabin. Don't like it? This isn't your fic then. Sorry.  
  
I was reading the Reality Check column, the issue where how colors affect your story, and decided to go back and add a few 'colorful' details to some of my stories. I ran across this one, which only had two or three paragraphs in it, and decided it was a salvageable project. I added on, decided it would make a decent series, so… My only problem is that I want Relm and Gau a little younger, but don't want to extend by artistic to age changes right now, so I'm dealing.  
  
Well, enjoy, and please tell me what you think. Should I really continue with this one, or is it hopeless? 


	2. Part One

Things Are Different Now  
  
Chapter One: A New Beginning  
  
By Shadow (ShadowGal@AOL.com or HyruleGal@AOL.com)  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------  
  
Shadow smiled and leaned back in his chair, staring out the open window in front of him. He looked the perfect picture of contentment. The room he was sitting in was full of sunlight, carpeted in a thick creme color, and decorated with vibrant, healthy plants. The walls were painted a blue so pale it was almost white, and the furniture was made of a pale, golden- white wood with cushions sky blue and white. It was bright, cheerful…  
  
"Most definitely not what most people would expect to find in the main room of an ex-assassin's house." Shadow mused to himself, smiling wryly. "As if I would really want to constantly remind myself of all the wrongs I've done… My mind does quite well on its own, no need to fuel it by decorating my house grimly." His smile slipped into a frown for a moment, only to quickly return along with an amused chuckle at his next thought.  
  
"It wouldn't matter, I suppose… They'd forget all about my decor the moment they saw my family. I'm sure that's something else most people wouldn't expect me to have." His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, then slamming shut again.  
  
"Hey, dad!!" came an excited girl's voice. Shadow turned around to watch the girl run towards him, Interceptor following her happily.  
  
"Yes, Relm?" he asked, standing up. He swept his daughter up into his arms and twirled her around, his smile changing into a grin. Interceptor barked and ran around them in a circle, trying to get his owners to pay attention to him too.  
  
"There's someone here to see you." Relm explained after laughing for a few moments. "He's waiting in the front yard."  
  
"For me?"  
  
"Mmm hmm."  
  
"Do you recognize him?"  
  
"Nope, I've never seen him before today."  
  
"What does he look like?"  
  
"Well, he's really scary looking, glares at everyone and everything, and… I know! I'll paint you a quick picture so you can see exactly what he looks like!" Relm suggested, her eyes glittering mischievously with the thought.  
  
"Oh no you don't, kiddo. Remember the last time you pulled a stunt like that?" came a third familiar voice. Shadow smiled, and Relm squirmed around in his arms to face the newcomer.  
  
"Sabin!" she squealed joyfully, a huge smile on her face. Sabin grinned and finished descending the stairs. Entering the room and stretching for a moment, he then took Relm from Shadow's arms and into his own. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Relm was already in her early teens. She could get pretty childish sometimes, but she was just trying to make up for lost time with her father.  
  
"Is Gau still playing outside?" Shadow asked, looking at Sabin curiously. The blonde man nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Last time I looked out the window he was in the side yard showing the kids next door how to walk up to rabbits and birds without scaring them away, or something like that."  
  
"Oooh! I wanna go watch! Those kids are pathetic, getting scared of bugs and rats... What would they do if they ever saw a real monster?" Relm exclaimed, a smirk on her face. Sabin placed her on the ground and she took off running, jumping out the open window and into the side yard. Shadow shook his head and grinned.  
  
"So, did you see the man that's here to talk to me?" Shadow asked Sabin, quirking one eyebrow. The tall blonde walked over and wrapped his arms around him, planting a gentle kiss on his lips.  
  
"Sure did. Relm's right; he is kinda scary lookin'. Dressed in dark clothing, scrawny little scraggly mustache, beady eyes that are always looking around… A long face with bunched up muscles, like he's been frowning too long or something, furrowed eyebrows, chewing on his lip like he's nervous or something… You know, the type you find drunk in a bar or fighting in some back alley more often than you do standing in somebody's front yard."  
  
Shadow frowned. "That's not a good sign… I just hope it's not someone looking to start trouble. I don't think our neighbors would appreciate that very much." Sabin shrugged.  
  
"Hey, it's okay. No need to worry." the prince grinned. "I've got your back covered. All you have to do is yell if you need me."  
  
"Hmm… Seems to me that's not the first time I've heard that one lately…"  
  
"Are you complaining?"  
  
"Did I say I was?"  
  
"No, but then again, you weren't saying anything intelligent last time…"  
  
Shadow rolled his eyes and punched his lover lightly, then took a step towards the front door. "I'm going to go see just who this man is and what he wants. I may bring him inside, so would you mind having some tea or something ready, just in case?"  
  
"Sure thing." The two men kissed briefly, then broke apart, Sabin going to the kitchen and Shadow to the front yard.  
  
It was nice weather outside; the sky was a perfect blue, not a cloud in the sky to blur the light coming from the sun. The grass was a bright, vibrant green, a reminder of the rains that had fallen heavily only the week before. The children hadn't forgotten that rain, and were thrilled to be able to play outside again, which they did quite happily.  
  
"May I help you?" Shadow asked politely when his visitor was within hearing distance. The man was rather shady looking, what with dark clothes, squinty eyes that never focused on one thing or person for more than a second at once, and a very jumpy disposition. Shadow was immediately on guard the moment he saw the man.  
  
"Only if we can talk someplace less… public." The man replied, looking around suspiciously. He didn't seem to be at all comfortable in a surrounding consisting of white picket fences, cheery flowers, and sunshine. Shadow raised one eyebrow slightly, but gestured for the man to follow him and headed back into the house.  
  
"Shadow, would you or your guest like some tea?" Sabin called upon hearing the front door open. The strange man looked ready to bolt any second, so Shadow indicated that he should take a seat at the kitchen table.  
  
"Would you care for tea?" Shadow repeated the offer. The man shook his head. "Just I'll be having tea." He called back to his lover. "Now," he continued, looking back to his 'guest' again. "Why is it that you've come here? I don't know you, but you know where I live and asked specifically for me, so you must have a reason."  
  
"Ah, yes, I do, in fact... You see, a business partner of mine is causing some trouble, and I-" the man began, placing his hands under the table. Shadow's expression went from a polite smile to a scowl.  
  
"Hadn't you heard? I've retired. I don't take hits anymore. I was under the impression that I had made that quite clear through my contacts."  
  
"Well, that is what I'd heard, but I thought that with the price I'm willing to pay, I could convince you to come out of retirement long enough for one job..."  
  
"No. When I say I'm done, I mean it. I've moved on to a better way of life. Only I will decide if I want to return to my former line of work." Shadow glared at the other man, silently daring him to challenge his statement. "And if I choose that, it won't be because some rich, pompous bastard came to my door offering me some paltry amount of gold."  
  
The skittish man's eyes widened, his face going from pale white to the shade of a ripe tomato. "Did you just refuse me? Do you even know who I am?" he shouted, slamming his fists down on the sturdy kitchen table and standing up. He looked down at Shadow, doing his best to be as intimidating as possible.  
  
"No, I don't, but I don't see how it matters."  
  
"I am Drit Karemf, one of the most powerful men working in the Black Market! If you don't cooperate with me, it is of little matter, I have other options… It would make things easier on you, however, if you were to do as I have asked." Drit made a visible effort to calm down, unclenching his hands and taking a deep breath.  
  
"Is that a threat?" Shadow asked coolly, raising one eyebrow. "If it is, I just want to let you know that it doesn't scare me in the slightest. I've dealt with far worse than you before."  
  
"Oh, it's not a threat towards you," Drit replied, an evil grin appearing on his face. "However, that girl that greeted me earlier… Your daughter, I assume? I'm sure that she could be bribed away with some pretty bauble, then disposed of… Or perhaps your wife would be a better target? I know better than to try to send someone after you, but your family, on the other hand… Let's just say that while I'm sure you are more than capable of protecting them, you can't be there all the time."  
  
"I don't have a wife anymore, so I don't need to worry about that. My friends are able to defend themselves, so they don't need me around to survive your goons. Do you have any threats left?"  
  
"I don't think he does." Sabin growled, stepping forward from the kitchen doorway and gently placing the blue floral tea cup he was holding onto the table. Shadow could tell that his lover was barely keeping his anger in check.  
  
"And who are you? Is the mighty Shadow employing a body guard now? Scared that he'll be attacked now that he's out of the business and careless about watching his back?"  
  
Sabin's eyes narrowed, and he rushed forward. Shadow grabbed his shoulder and held him back, glaring at Drit. "Calm down, Sab." The retired assassin whispered, trying to sound comforting when he was beginning to get annoyed himself.  
  
"For your information, Sabin is my lover, not my bodyguard." Shadow said smoothly, staring Drit straight in the eyes, his gaze icy and unwavering.  
  
"Oh, this is absolutely wonderful… The most famous of assassins is even sicker than any of us ever imagined him to be!"  
  
That was just too much for Sabin to take. He pulled free from Shadow and surged towards Drit. "You are not going to get away with insulting Shadow to his face, not while I'm around!" he shouted, wrapping his hands around the scoundrel's neck and shaking him roughly.  
  
"Sabin, please. Just calm down… I don't want violence brought into this house. I wanted it to be a fresh start. Please…"  
  
"Shadow, I don't understand. How can you let him just waltz in and insult us like this?" Sabin burst, sounding confused and angry. Still, he consented and loosened his grip on Drit slightly.  
  
"Because, Sabin, I don't care what scum like him think about me. I'm sorry if you do, I don't want to upset you… But I don't want any blood shed in this house, not if I can avoid it."  
  
Sabin sighed. "Okay, Shadow. I'll let him go…" Here he paused to glare menacingly at the man he had captured. "But only if he promises he won't harm Relm."  
  
"Oh, I won't. Why harm a little girl when I can hurt a Fay bastard instead?" Drit sneered. Sabin's jaw tightened, and Shadow's face grew visibly angry, but they both managed to stay collected.  
  
"Go ahead. Do your best to hurt me." Sabin said, his tone uncaring. He then proceeded to carry Drit out of the house, through the front yard, and all the way out to the town border. Shadow staid behind and poured another cup of tea for his lover; he would need the soothing effects after this.  
  
"Now, leave." Sabin growled, tossing his burden to the ground forcefully. "I don't ever want to see you around here again. And as for the threats you made… You can do your best to me, do whatever you want. But I swear on all that's holy that if you or anyone that works for you so much as lays a finger on Relm, I'll carve my revenge on your skin."  
  
Drit's eyes widened, and he began to scramble backwards in a very undignified manner, hastily trying to get away from the furious man in front of him. "Okay, okay, I swear. I'll leave her alone." He exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. He backed away a few slow steps, then turned and ran away from the town. Sabin didn't doubt that he had a chocobo stashed somewhere nearby, and would soon be back to wherever he had come from.  
  
"He'll probably hire a hit-man to take one of us out the minute he gets back home." Sabin muttered to himself darkly, heading back to his home.  
  
"Are you okay, Sabin?" Shadow greeted him as he walked through the door. The older man's expression was concerned, and he offered his blonde lover a steaming cup of tea.  
  
"No, I'm not okay!" Sabin burst, tossing his hands up. He then took the proffered tea and followed his boyfriend over to the large, blue plush chair in one corner. They sank into it together, Shadow sitting halfway on Sabin's lap in order for them to both fit; Sabin was comforted a little by the close contact.  
  
"Sabin, why are you letting this bother you so much?" Shadow asked gently, taking one of his beloved's hands in his own and stroking it softly. "Relm and Gau will be fine; it would be almost impossible for someone to get to them and do anything. They'd have to get through Interceptor, you, me, and Gau and Relm themselves before they would even get a chance to hurt either of the children."  
  
Sabin gulped his tea down all at once and set the cup down on the side table next to him. "I realize that, but it doesn't make me feel any better! I don't want to risk their lives, Shadow! Not when I know that there's so much more I can do to protect them better!"  
  
"I know just how you feel, love… Look. If you're really worried about it, we can go visit your brother at Figaro Castle; he's been asking you to visit for quite a while, and it would provide a huge bodyguard for both of the kids. Is that okay with you?"  
  
"That sounds like a good idea. I haven't seen him in a while anyways."  
  
"We'll leave at the end of the week then. That's two days; we'll all have time to pack, and the kids can say goodbye to their friends. They'll be excited to see Edgar again after all these months."  
  
"Especially Relm; she had quite a crush on my brother, after all. Oh, and it's been almost a year, actually."  
  
"Even more reason to visit, then."  
  
"We'll tell them at supper." 


End file.
